American J ournal of Engineering Research (AJ ER) 2014

w w w . a j e r . o r g

Page 195
American Journal of Engineering Research (AJER)
e-ISSN : 2320-0847 p-ISSN : 2320-0936
Volume-03, Issue-06, pp-195-198
www.ajer.org
Research Paper Open Access

Gold recovery from waste dam of Moute Gold Mine by flotation
and optimization the process via Taguchi method
Soheil Saffary
1,
*, Iman Ghane Ghanad
1
, Mohammad Halali
1
,
Ahmad Esmaeilirad
1
, Reza Fazlali
1
, Hossein Esfandiar
2
, Minoo Karimi
3

1(
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran)
2
(School of Metallurgy & Materials Science, Iran University of Science & Technology (IUST), P.O. Box: 16845-
161, Tehran, Iran)
3
(Geological Survey of Iran)
*(
Corresponding Author. E-mail Address: soheil_safari@yahoo.com)


ABSTRACT: The waste dam of Mouteh Gold Mine in Iran has a gold content of about 0.5ppm mainly as
constituents of activated carbon. Flotation is used for concentrating the gold bearing activated carbon. Effects
of factors such as pulp pH, impeller speed and frother concentration in flotation experiments has been
determined through Taguchi method. Using this method, maximum recycling rate of gold and concentrate gold
carat are predicted about 74.5%, and 9.6ppm respectively.

Key words: Gold recovery, Flotation, Activated carbon, tailing treatment.

I. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Mouteh Gold Mine
The treatment of flotation tailings is a subject of interest in mineral processing because of the potential
of wasted materials as an actual mineral resource and also environmental reasons. As shown in Table 1 carat of
gold in Mouteh Gold Mine is about 0.4ppm. Gold excavation in this mine is conducted using CIP method and
activated carbon in waste is highly rich in gold, about 1280 ppm. Total amount of gold in the waste dam is
calculated as 688 kg. The purpose of this work is to separate the activated carbon via flotation method for
recovery of gold. Taguchi method also is used for finding the optimum condition of flotation in order to reach to
the highest gold recovery and carat of gold in concentrate.

Table 1 carat and amount of some elements in waste dam of Mouteh Gold Mine and carat of elements on carbon















element
carat of element in
waste dam (ppm)
carat of element placed on
carbon (ppm)
amount of elements in
wast dam (kg)
Au 0.43 1280 688
Ag 5 5 8,000
W 209 5 334,400
Ce 120.37 3
Yb 6.04 1.5
Nd 56.43 5
Sm 12.18 0.1
Lu 0.927 0.3
Eu 1.78 0.2
Tb 1.62 0.5
Sc 10.24 1.1
Ir 5 5
La 73.37 0.5
American J ournal of Engineering Research (AJ ER) 2014


w w w . a j e r . o r g

Page 196


1.2. Gold flotation
Recovery of native gold from gold ores and base metal ores is an important industrial practice.
Conventional gold recovery methods are gravity, flotation, amalgamation and leaching processes [1]. Gardner
and Woods [2,3] showed that electrochemically-cleaned pure gold had a zero contact in buffer solution and zero
natural flotation in alkaline of acid solution when using purified nitrogen gas bubble. However there are
evidences that show native gold has natural hydrophobicity. Some possible explanation for natural floatability of
native gold are: surface charge, variation in composition of native gold in presence of other minor alloying
elements like silver and copper and surface contamination with organic maters and oils that can increase
floatability of native gold. More-over, floatability of native gold is different depend on type of host mineral
(pyrite, arsenopyrite, base metal sulfide minerals, quartz) [4,5].

1.3. Carbon flotation
Carbon and carbonaceous minerals surfaces has natural hydrophobicity. In different efforts for
recovery of unburned carbon and carbonaceous sulfide ores by flotation, diesel oil and pine oil are used as
collector and frother respectively. Diesel oil known as an effective reagent for increasing natural floatability of
carbon and carbonaceous minerals [5, 6 , 7].

1.4. pH in gold flotation
The pH of flotation feed is an important factor in gold flotation even though gold can float over a pH
range of about 3 to 11. The value used in plants depends on nature of feed, type of host mineral (pyrite,
arsenopyrite, base metal sulfide minerals, quartz) and composition of collector. For some examples, in Australia,
native gold (and pyrite) flotation has been conducted in soda ash circuit at pH 8-9. In south Africa, the preferred
pH ranges are 3-4 and 10-11.5. Acidic circuits (pH 3-4) are preferred for floating uranium acid leach residues,
old tailing dumps which are acidic, and some cyanidation residue. Alkaline circuits (pH 10-11.5 with lime) are
preferred when the ore contains pyrophyllite [4].
II. EXPERIMENT
2.1. Flotation
Following materials are used in flotation:
booster : diesel oil
frother : pine oil
pH regulator : sulfuric acid

Three factors, pH, impeller speed (rpm) and concentration of frother have been changed in three levels
for finding the optimum condition. There could some other effective factors in flotation that have been taken
constant in this work like: temperature, water composition, type of booster and its concentration, amount of
aeration and bubble-size [4]. Denver-cell was used hear for performing the flotation experiments. Pulp
concentration was taken 25% and was prepared by tap-water. After adding frother and booster, 20 minutes of
agitating and aerating was done on pulp.
Measuring the amount of gold in concentrate was performed in five steps: 1) the concentrate was
calcinated for getting rid of activated carbon that strongly adsorbs gold on itself. 2) gold was washed and
separated from concentrate by hot aqua regia (nitric acid and hydrochloric acid in a volume ratio of 1:3
respectively). 3) gold in aqua regia was gained via activated carbon adsorption. 4) the activated carbon bearing
gold was calcinated. 5) remained ash washed with hot aqua regia for separating gold. And finally carat of gold
in the last solution measured by Atomic Adsorption Spectroscopy.
Tests results are reported in two viewpoints 1) concentrate carat 2) recycling percentage. The ideal situation is
the one that both concentrate carat and recycling percentage are high in.

2.2. Optimization
Orthogonal array L9 that is shown in Table 2 is introduced by Taguchi method for three factors varying
in three levels. In this table factors are in columns, symbolized by A, B and C. Different combinations of factors
with three different levels are in rows. Numbers in three columns under A, B and C show levels of factors.
Number of all possible tests in case of three 3-level factors is 3
3
= 27, however Taguchi test designing method
enables us to find the optimum condition by nine tests only. And of course it is possible that optimum condition
wouldn't be among these nine tests [8].


American J ournal of Engineering Research (AJ ER) 2014


w w w . a j e r . o r g

Page 197


Table 2. orthogonal array L9















For this work, factors are A: pH, B: impeller speed (rpm) and C: concentration of frother and each of
them change in three levels Table 3. Qualitek-4 software is used for design and analysis of experiment
according to Taguchi method.

Table 3. Factors and levels for flotation experiment









III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
3.1. Results
Results of the nine performed tests are reported in two different ways, 1) concentrate carat, 2) recycling
percentage Table 4. Each test has been conducted two times.

Table 4. results of flotation

concentrate carat (ppm) recycling percentage
test number A B C result 1 result 2 result 1 result 2
1 1 1 1 3.25 3.6 32.37 35.85
2 1 2 2 3.44 8.84 24.86 63.88
3 1 3 3 3.9 6 22.98 35.36
4 2 1 2 2.4 3.8 29.4 46.56
5 2 2 3 6.3 11.2 35.7 63.46
6 2 3 1 8.1 11.8 49.24 71.74
7 3 1 3 5.8 6 85.9 88.88
8 3 2 1 5.16 4.9 51.46 48.87
9 3 3 2 11.5 10 72.37 62.93

3.2. The larger, The better, for gold recycling percentage
With target of maximum amount of gold recycling the predicted optimum condition is A
3
B
3
C
3
,
Table 5. The predicted gold recycling in this situation is 74.5% although there was a 88.8% gold recycling
among the performed tests (test 7 in Table 4). Probably this disagreement results from experimental error.
Factors contribution on the answers are shown In Table 5 quantitatively. Figures show that the role of
pH on results is 10 times more active than of two other factors.
Experiment number A B C
1 1 1 1
2 1 2 2
3 1 3 3
4 2 1 2
5 2 2 3
6 2 3 1
7 3 1 3
8 3 2 1
9 3 3 2
Sum 18 18 18
Quantity of factors in three levels
1 2 3
pH A 5 4 3
rpm B 1600 1200 1000
concentration C 2000 g/ton 1000 g/ton 200 g/ton
American J ournal of Engineering Research (AJ ER) 2014


w w w . a j e r . o r g

Page 198



Table 5. optimum condition for gold recycling percentage






3.3. The Larger the better, for concentrate carat
With target of maximum concentrate carat the predicted optimum condition is A
3
B
3
C
3
. The predicted
concentrate carat in this situation is 9.6ppm. The desirable result obtained here is that both optimums for
concentrate carat and gold recycling happen is same condition which is A
3
B
3
C
3
.
Table 6 shows factors contribution on concentrate carat quantitatively. Figures show that the role of
rpm on results is 1.5 times more active than of pH and also contribution of concentration of frother is not
significant.

Table 6. optimum condition for concentrate carat






As mentioned earlier, regarding the case in which higher recycling rate is under consideration, pH
contribution on results is about 10 times higher than for two other factors, Table 5. According to These results
pH and Rpm play the main role on recycling rate and concentrate carat respectively.

IV. CONCLUSION
Conducting tests for predicting the optimum points for recycling rate and concentrate carat were
performed. Luckily, both optimums happened in same condition, A
3
B
3
C
3
, which implies for pH equal to 3 (the
lowest pH level), Rpm equal to 1000 (the lowest Rpm level) and frother concentration equal to 200g/ton (the
lowest concentration). Predicted maximum gold recycling percentage and concentrate carat in this condition
were 74.5% and 9.6ppm respectively. For having optimum recycling rate and highest carat of concentrate, pH
and Rpm play the main roles respectively.

REFERENCES
[1]. Torres, V.M., Chaves, A.P., Meech, J.A., 1999. Process design for gold ores: A diagnostic approach. Minerals Engineering 3,
245254.
[2]. Gardner, J.R., and Woods, R., An electrochemical investigation of contact angle and of flotation in the presence of alkyl
xanthates, I. Platinum and gold surfaces. Australian Journal of chemistry. 1974, 27, 2139-2148.
[3]. Gardner, J.R., and Woods, R., The hydrophilic natural of gold and platinum. Journal Electroanalytical Chemistry, 1977, 81,
285-290.
[4]. Allan, G.C., Woodcock, J.T., 2001. A review of the flotation of native gold and electrum. Minerals Engineering 9, 931962.
[5]. O

Connor, C.T., Dunne R.C., 1994. THE FLOTATION OF GOLD BEARING ORES. Mineral engineering, v.7, N.7, 839-849.
[6]. Gredelj, S., Zanin M., Grano, S.R., 2008. Selective flotation of carbon in the PbZn carbonaceous sulphide ores of Century
Mine, Zinifex. Minerals Engineering 22, 279288.
[7]. Emre Altun, N., Chuangfu Xiao., Jiann-Yang Hwang ., 2009. Separation of unburned carbon from fly ash using a concurrent
flotation column. Fuel Processing Technology 90, 14641470.
[8]. Roy, R.K. A primer on the Taguchi method. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. 1990.

factors levels factors contribution
predicted gold recycling
A: pH 3 3.347

B: Rpm 3 0.368 74.5%
C: Concentration 3 0.359
factors levels factors contribution
predicted concentrate carat
A: pH 3 1.827

B: Rpm 3 2.96
9.6 ppm
C: Concentration 3 0.666